Business Notes NOVELTIES

Arthur Gross calls himself a "nationally renowned neo-Pop artist." What he does, in plain English, is sell trash. Not just any trash, to be sure. Gross, 23, rifles through the garbage cans of Beverly Hills, ferreting out such choice items as receipts from Cartier or cocktail napkins from the Beverly Hills Hotel's Polo Lounge. He then packages the debris in a clear plastic bag, slaps on a pink and green Beverly Hills Trash label and charges $5 for each bag-cum-artwork.

Gross refuses to disclose his sales, but says his customers include "convenience-store clerks and investment bankers." Not everyone is amused. Max Baril, chairman of the Rodeo Drive Association, the trade group for the chic thoroughfare, says the garbage idea stinks. Says he: "I take great offense that Mr. Gross calls our residents filthy." Not even filthy rich?